OK I've got the control arm bushings installed and mounted back into the car-the big bushings were cracked and I replaced them with OEM parts-not to big of a problem to remove and replace-did it on my vice in the basement. The small control arm bushings were a bear though and had to search for someone with a hyd press to get the old ones out and reinstall the new ones properly. Question I have-the small bushings are in a housing with a bolt going thru the housing and bushing-can you get this bolt to tight and cause the control arm to seaze on the bushing. What tourqe do I tighten this down-or do I just put the red lock tight on the bolt and snug her up? The small bushing that failed may have been caused by the bearing seazing in the control housing-when I put her back together the first time I took care that it wasn't the case but this is the only thing I can figure for the sucker to fail like it did.
Thanks all
Poolman

66.4 ft. lbs.

Poolman,

Soon I will be replacing the bushings in the old OE control arms and swapping out the junk ScanTech LCA's from FCP.

Could I touble you to write up your procedure for removing & replacing the bushings while it's fresh in your memory? (perhaps we can put this procedure in the FAQ's as well since it's a common problem). I know you didn't have the Volvo tools for it and neither do I so I'd like to follow your procedure.

I would appreciate it.

DEWFPO
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1998 S90 077,400 and 1995 964 154,100

Hey Dewfpo-hope things are going your way-I'll try to put this in sequence of how I worked this out. First of all make sure you have good jack stands and a good floor jack-dangerous enough with out getting careless. After setting the stand and hyd jack on one side (I worked one side at a time) with the wheel off start by taking the two bolts out of the large bushing area. One bolt goes thru the large bushing and another is nearby. then loosen the bolt that goes thru the small bushing on the control arm. Don't remove it yet-remove the keeper pin from the ball joint and the nut that holds it. Slap the control arm with a heavy blow to release the ball joint and then remove the small bushing bolt. I used a long crow bar and pried the metal plate away from the large bushing area enough to pull the control free from the car at this point.
Now with the control arm out I went to my work bench and took a 3 inch diameter peice of wood, long enough to hold on to and beat the large bushing out-it will only come one way. After doing that I applied some litheum grease to the inside of the contol arm(where the bushing fits) and aligned the bushing back to the marks that are on the bushing and control arm. It's important to make sure these marks are ligned up. I lightly tapped the bushing to get it seated back into the arm and then went around the outside area of the bushing lightly pressing it back in with my bench vise.One side of the vise is on the outside of the bushing and the other side is on the outside of the control arm housing. I only went about 1/8 of an inch at a time-slowly working and making sure everything was still straight.
This worked fine for me-I couldn't make the small bushing move though and had to resort to finding someone with a hyd press to finish the job. If you have to do both of the bushings-it's probally best to have them both pressed in with the press-I started with the large one that I thought was going to be the bear-it's not near as bad as the small one though. Back track everything to reinstall-after all is back together-tighten the small control arm bushing with the wheel back on and the car sitting with it's weight on the tire for final tourqing.
Hope that helps
Poolman

The long bolt/nut that goes thru the small bushing (the front one) does pin or bind the center metal cylinder of the bushing in the cross-member. Tightening this bushing should be done with the vehicle weight applied to the wheel so as to put the control arm position approximately neutral when the car is sitting on the ground. This keeps the vulcanized rubber part of the bushing from being torqued in this position, which is what you don't want.

I accomplished this by lifting the wheel in question with a floor jack and a block of wood placed so that the lifting is as far outward on the wheel spindle as possible which makes the applied force better simulate the force when the wheel is on. Lift just until you start to lift that side off the jackstand on that side and no more. Then do your torqueing of the control arm bushing bolt/nut.

The rear control arm bolt really doesn't require this treatment as it is not twisting about the bolt axis as the control arm moves up and down.

One question for you: Did you get those big Volvo composite bushings (rear bushings) pressed in with just a vice? Those things are the weirdest design I've ever seen. They look like some carbon fiber/rubber construction and they are quite out of round. I cracked one with my first try at installation with a hydraulic press. Then I machined a copy of the Volvo install tools and I'm waiting for the replacement for the cracked one to arrive.

If you got those in with a vice, I'm impressed. Any special tricks/words of wisdom?

Thanks for the replie on the control arms-will set up the tq today for taking care of that problem. On the large bushings-I took a block of wood and beat the old ones out-then used a little white lithium grease on the edges and carefully started the bushings back in-with my vise I worked them around the top edge of the bushing being carefull not to get to the center and worked the bushing back down slowly until seated-it's like working the bushing back 1/8 of an inch at a time and making sure your getting it seated back where it needs to go and not damage the sucker while pushing it back in.
Hope that helps
Poolman

I got my large control arm bushings changed today. I had machined a copy of the Volvo install tools, and thought of a modification today that I put in the bottom cup so as to enable the application of some preload on the bushing/control arm/upper & lower install cup sandwich with a long bolt when getting it started. Then you can give the upper cup with the bushing a knock or two with a mallet to get the thing started squarely with the control arm then go to the hydraulic press and press it home. Both bushings went in without a hitch this time.

I'm still amazed that you got those things in with just a vice. Those bushings are so out of round that it's hard to get it started in the control arm and that plastic on the outer shell is easy to crack at the top flange.

I stopped in at the dealer and showed my modification to the front end mechanic who had shown me the install tools before. He liked it, but said he didn't do many of these late 960; S90/V90 bushings anymore; getting too old . . .

It was nice to get the bushings changed. It got rid of a bullfrog croak-like sound that I was hearing going over speed bumps. Now all the front suspension components have been changed out except the strut mounts.

I did use Tasca Volvo for parts and I can say that they were quite cost competitive. I got the large control arm bushing for ~$26.50 and a set of Volvo rear brake pads for the late 960 for $29. I even tested them with a odd little plastic clip for the connector to the air pump which cost $0.30 and they got it all without a problem.

Well my craptech control arms lasted less than a year. Is it a waste of time to press new bushings into the scantech arms? Or do I need original Volvo A arms?
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'96 965 186,000+

Even though the ScamTech LCA's are smaller and perhaps of a differnt material, I bleieve they are o.k., it's the bushings themselves that are junk. I would think that putting Volvo OE bushings in the ScanTech arms would be just fine, even thought they don't 'appear' as stout as the OE units.

DEWFPO
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1998 S90 077,400 and 1995 964 154,100